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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Obama Defends Fight Against ISIS; Avoids "Islamic" Label; Record Cold; Ukraine Calls for U.N. Peacekeepers

Aired February 19, 2015 - 04:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: President Obama defends the fight against ISIS, saying the U.S. is not at war with Islam. But his critics are asking, how can he fight extremism if refuses to link it to Muslim radicals.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Bone-chilling temperatures stretching across the Eastern United States. This arctic blast slamming millions of Americans, with temperatures dropping way below average. We're going to tell you what this means for you besides shivering, ahead.

ROMANS: Deadly exposure. Hundreds of people may have been exposed to a deadly and drug-resistant superbug while getting treated at a hospital. Where it's happening and what's being done about it.

Welcome back to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.

BERMAN: I'm John Berman. Great to see you today. Thirty minutes past the hour.

This morning, President Obama is striving between the violent extremism which is what the White House calls it and respect for Muslims around the world. Being at a three-day White House summit on countering violent extremism, again that term is important. The president carefully avoided labeling Islamic extremism. This is a controversial choice. Critics say Islamist militancy should be dealt with head on, but the president says he does not want to give religious legitimacy to groups such as ISIS and al Qaeda.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They are not religious leaders. They're terrorists.

(APPLAUSE)

And we are not at war with Islam.

(APPLAUSE)

We are at war with people who have perverted Islam.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BERMAN: Senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta following the story. He has the latest for us -- Jim.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: John and Christine, President Obama defended his decision to stay away from those terms like "Islamic extremism" and "Islamic terrorism" because he said he doesn't want to give groups like ISIS and al Qaeda any Muslim street cred by somehow referring to the groups as religious figures.

The president pointed out that Muslims are the victims of ISIS much more often than people from other religious groups. And he also noted, the young Muslim Americans killed in a high profile murder case in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

The president then said that people of the Islamic faith, that we offer our love and we offer our support. But his biggest applause line at this countering violent extremism summit came when he rejected critics who say he's taking too soft an approach in describing groups like ISIS. Here's what he had to say.

OBAMA: We all know there is no one profile of a violent extremist or terrorist. So, there is no way to predict who will become radicalized. Around the world and here in the United States, inexcusable acts of violence have been committed against people of different faiths by people of different faiths, which is, of course, the trail of all of our faiths.

ACOSTA: But the president was also trying to strike a balance saying that Muslim leaders in the U.S. we need to do more to push back on this notion that there is a clash of civilians going on. White House officials note that this nuanced stance by the president is controversial. Press Secretary Josh Earnest conceded they have taken flak on this language they are using, but that they welcome it. The president will give one more speech on the subject later today when he addresses hundreds of foreign officials from around the world at the State Department on the global challenge posed by violent extremism -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: All right. Jim Acosta, thanks for that, Jim.

While the president works to rally support for the war against extremist terror, ISIS ratchets to new levels. Iraqi official saying ISIS militants killed 40 police officers and tribesmen. Most of them burned to death. CNN cannot independently confirm that information. But the Pentagon says it is analyzing the report and imagery. Now, the question is where and how will ISIS strike next.

I want to bring in CNN's Ian Lee live from Cairo, with the latest and the spectrum of brutally from this group is almost mind-boggling.

IAN LEE, CNN REPORTER: It really is, Christine. And we have been watching ISIS closely around the city of Mosul. Peshmerga fighters are strangling it on three different fronts, on the frontlines that's over 600 miles long. They seem to be holding that line in a defensive manner. ISIS probing it and looking for weaknesses to give you an example just a couple days ago, the other night, actually, ISIS fighters launched a large scale attacked against that Peshmerga line that lasted for about five hours ago.

Airstrikes were unavailable because the fighting was so close. That is something ISIS is very aware of. They know coalition war planes are fighting above. They strike when they see advantageous, whether the weather is poor or at night.

In that fight, over 40 ISIS fighters were killed, but they are trying to relieve pressure on the city of Mosul. As we know, Iraqi forces are preparing for a large scale assault against it.

ROMANS: Ian, it's so interesting that the Peshmerga forces are using armaments in some cases that are from 1945, and they are fighting people who are using the best American Humvees and equipment that were stolen from the Iraqi military. The Peshmerga holding on, but, boy, when you look at that fight in terms of what they have, it's not very balanced.

LEE: It really isn't. The Peshmerga have really proven themselves holding their own. As you said, they have an artillery piece from World War II, a British artillery piece that they are using. They are getting weapons from ISIS when they capture ground. They are repurposing the weapons they can take. They did get a new shipment of German machine guns.

But what they want is heavier guns. They also want armor. You look across the river from where the battle is taking place right now, and you have ISIS fighters. As you said, they have looted Iraqi military bases, stealing American Humvees, American weaponry. They have the latest in American equipment, and that has been devastating against the Peshmerga and has inflicted large casualties.

ROMANS: All right. Ian Lee, thank you so much for that this morning in Cairo.

BERMAN: This morning, a humanitarian aid worker killed while in the hands of ISIS militant is being remembered in her hometown of Prescott, Arizona. Kayla Mueller's brother Eric told the crowd at a memorial service that she will live in the acts of kindness she performed workgn with Syrian refugees.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC MUELLER, KAYLA MUELLER'S BROTHER: Only now will you be able to see how much you really did and truly did for this world by looking down on it from above. I love you. You can rest in peace knowing that you changed this world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: ISIS says that Mueller died in the Jordanian air strike. The Pentagon rejects that claim, saying it just doesn't know how she died. But says that ISIS is the group ultimately responsible for her death.

ROMANS: Breaking news this morning, Iran says talks with the U.S. over the Iranian nuclear program will resume on Friday. Iran's foreign minister says the talk will start with mid-level diplomats. But Iran's foreign minister and Secretary of State John Kerry are set to join the talks in Geneva, Sunday and Monday.

BERMAN: All right. It's really cold outside. A huge swath of the U.S. dealing with bone-chilling temperatures through tomorrow. The arctic air is affecting 25 states, even Florida, and some states could shatter records in terms of low temperatures. Look at his, so cold, so cold even Niagara falls is partially frozen.

ROMANS: Look at the people who went to see it. I mean, it's so cold.

BERMAN: What is wrong with those people?

ROMANS: The car is running in the background.

BERMAN: Go somewhere warm. It is so cold, schools in Chicago and Kentucky are closing as a precaution.

ROMANS: With temperatures so cold, the snow has no place -- has no change to melt and nowhere really to go. And that's a real concern if you look at this, a partial roof collapse at a shopping plaza near Boston. Fortunately, no one was hurt there. Meantime, crews had to rush to save two people who became buried in snow when it fell off a Boston ice rink. We're told they were hurt but are expected to be OK.

So, will these dangerous record-breaking wind-chills continue?

Let's turn to meteorologist Pedram Javaheri for an early look at your weather.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: John and Christine, what a historic spell of weather ahead of us over the next couple of days. More than 130 million people underneath wind-chill advisories or warnings, at least over the next 24 or so hours. The expansion goes from Indianapolis all the way towards areas of central and southern Florida. Wind-chills down on South Beach could even be to the upper 30s over the next couple of days.

But again, take a look, freeze warnings and also watches across the citrus growing regions. So, certainly, something worth noting for people across areas of Central Florida, if that is how you make your living down there.

But take a look at the perspective. High pressure in place, generally clear skies. Temperatures dropping to minus 12 in Minneapolis, 14 in Atlanta, again down in the 40s across areas of Tampa.

We are talking 25 to 30 degrees below average. Minneapolis, high today is 7, 30 in the norm. Chicago, 1, that's among the coldest high temperatures this late into the season since the 1960s for Chicago.

And some of the coldest weather since the Clinton administration, down around the nation's capital, 17, it should be 48. And also, New York City in the 20s, when you should have double that temperature at 42 degrees. This pattern, unfortunately, looks to be a long-lived one over the next few days, guys.

BERMAN: There we go. He's blaming the Clintons again. Our thanks to Pedram Javaheri for that one.

New this morning, the president of Ukraine is calling for the U.N. peacekeeping mission to enforce the latest cease-fire between the government and the pro-Russian rebels in that country. The truce signed last week seems to have been shattered in the face of fierce fighting with the crucial rail hub to Debaltseve. And Wednesday, Ukraine withdraw most of its troops from that city. Now, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is seeking help from the United Nations and the European Union.

For the latest, let's bring in CNN's Erin McLaughlin in Moscow with the latest.

Good morning, Erin.

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, John.

Moscow is rejecting those calls for a U.N. peacekeeping mission to be deployed in eastern Ukraine. Russian ambassador to the United Nations saying the proposal will only serve to frustrate the current agreement. But it has to be said that the current agreement has already been frustrated with Western leaders as well as Ukrainian leaders accusing Russia and separatists of violating the cease-fire agreement in Debaltseve. Now, Debaltseve is the key transport hub, the site of intense recent fighting.

Russia, for its part, rejecting those accusations, saying that Debaltseve was never a part of the cease-fire agreement because the separatists had the city surrounded prior to that agreement being reached and it's now saying or accusing the west of trying to use Debaltseve as a pre-text for further sanctions.

But now as the separatists have firm control of Debaltseve, the hope is that finally, the fighting in eastern Ukraine will stop, that the so-called frozen conflict will take effect and the agreement can potentially move forward -- John.

BERMAN: All right. Erin McLaughlin for us on the fighting in Eastern Ukraine -- thanks so much, Erin.

Forty minutes after the hour.

Officials at UCLA Medical Center are scrambling to contain a drug resistant and possibly deadly superbug. At least two patients have reportedly died. Seven more infected after exposure to the bacteria, which is called CRE. UCLA officials say it is notifying about 100 patients who may have been exposed. It is believed the infection was transmitted during complex endoscope procedures. Officials say the doctors actually followed the recommended decontamination procedures. ROMANS: Superbugs are very scary. And when you look at the hospital

situation where deadly infections are a real problem, and when you have one that has multiple drug resistant, that is really scary.

Forty-one minutes past the hour.

Let's get an EARLY START on your money this morning.

European stocks lower. No deal yet, but Greece is expected to ask for an extension of the bailout agreement were eurozone today. U.S. stock futures down a little bit. Yesterday's stocks fell, but, you know, pulling back a bit from records. Why? The Federal Reserve raised some questions about the economy and it is no hurry to raise interest rates.

The biggest drag on stocks is Exxon. That Exxon stock fell 2.2 percent after Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway sold its shares. Plus, oil prices are still pulling down, more than 4 percent today. And that's more bad news for the troubled energy sector as company slashed jobs and cut investment.

Yesterday, we had a very weak producer price figure. Inflation is so, so low, causing concerns about the underlying strength of the American economy.

BERMAN: The Fed doesn't know what to do.

ROMANS: Yes, absolutely.

BERMAN: Jeb Bush lays out his foreign policy vision. How did he talk about his father, the former president, his brother, a former president? The invasion of Iraq? A little bit controversial. And what does this all mean for his presidential campaign?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: All right. Welcome back.

The Bush who would be president promises to be his own man on foreign affairs. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush in his first policy speech addressing the inevitable comparisons to his father and his brother, both former presidents, while taking a swipes at leadership in the current White House.

Let's get more this morning from CNN's Athena Jones.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATHENA JONES, CNN REPORTER: Good morning, John and Christine.

Governor Bush was very, very critical of President Obama's handling of foreign policy issues as expected. This comes at a time when our CNN polling shows that the American public is growing increasingly critical of the president on that front.

But the bigger question here in Chicago during the speech is how Governor Bush would distinguish himself from his father and from his brother on foreign policy issue and other matters. Let's listen to what he had to say.

JEB BUSH (R), FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR: I've also been fortunate to have a father and a brother who helped shape America's foreign policy from the Oval Office. I recognize that as a result, my views will often be held up in comparison to theirs. In fact, this is a great fascinating thing in the political world for some reason. Some times in contrast to theirs.

Look, just for the record, one more time, I love my brother. I love my dad. Actually love my mother as well. Hope that's OK. I admire their service to the nation and the difficult decisions they had to make, but I'm my own man.

JONES: Now, unfortunately for those in the room who are eager to hear more about what Governor Bush would do differently than his brother and his father, the two Presidents George Bush, he didn't really go far beyond that, that statement that we just heard. He did say that every president inherits a changing world and changing circumstances. He said for instance, back in 2003, during that invasion of Iraq, there was no Twitter, there was no ISIS.

And so, a changing world, and a changing circumstances are going to require a change in approach -- John and Christine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Thanks to Athena for that.

The Justice Department appears ready to act against the police department in Ferguson, Missouri. Officials tell CNN they may sue for a patter of racial discrimination. Attorney General Eric Holder is expected to announce the results of the Justice Department investigation into the Michael Brown shooting and police tactics in the coming weeks.

Officials say if the Ferguson police department does not agree to review and revise those tactics, they would sue -- the Justice Department would sue to force change.

ROMANS: He has been acting head of the Secret Service. Now, the White House says Joseph Clancy is getting the job permanently. Clancy is a 27-year-veteran of the Secret Service. He took over back in October when the former director resigned over embarrassing security lapses. The choice goes against the recommendation of the panel which said the president should look outside that agency.

BERMAN: The mystery deepens in the road rage case in Nevada. Police adding a twist to what they really think happened there. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: Police are giving new details this morning in the last week's apparent road rage incident that ended with a shooting death of a Las Vegas woman. This as Tammy Meyers family prepares for her funeral. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The family of Tammy Meyers is busy making funeral arrangements for the mother of four. This is the car she was driving when the incident happened. You see a makeshift memorial appeared on the hood of the car.

But police were saying that perhaps Ms. Meyers had something to do with escalating the situation with her and the driver who eventually shot her. It turns out that Meyers, after having the initial confrontation with that driver, ended up back at home and she went and got her son who picked up a gun and got back into the car and went to try to find the driver that she had just argued with and did find him.

Police are not saying what happened at the moment that those two met for a second time, but when Tammy Meyers and her son returned home, that driver followed her and eventually, he ended up shooting and killing her.

At this point in time, police are still looking for the suspect, a 25- year-old that they have a sketch of. They believe he is about 6-feet tall, 180 pounds with spiky blond or dirty blond hair. This community has been putting flyers all over the place trying to find the person who killed their neighbor.

Back to you, guys.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: What an awful story that is.

All right. Vanilla Ice is in trouble this morning.

(MUSIC)

BERMAN: Besides ripping off Queen for that song, it's a totally different issue. He has been released from custody after he was arrested and charged with burglary and grand theft in Florida. Police say the robbery occurred in a home that was going through foreclosure. Mr. Ice is renovating the home next to the property where the items were stolen. Mr. Ice says it is all a misunderstanding.

Christine Romans, I will give you $100 if you tell me his real name.

ROMANS: Robert Van Winkle.

BERMAN: Oh, oh!

ROMANS: he's on tape. I think it's Robert Van Winkle.

BERMAN: It is.

ROMANS: It is?

BERMAN: I just tossed you 100 bucks on TV. Oh, darn!

ROMANS: That's awesome. Thank you, Vanilla Ice.

Five minutes to the top of the hour --

BERMAN: Giveth and he taketh away, all at once.

ROMANS: You may have noticed the gas prices rising. What to expect at the pump, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: All right. Time for an early start on your money this morning. European stocks making up some early losses on news Greece has now officially asked its E.U. creditors to extend its current bailout by six months. U.S. stock futures so barely moving.

Yesterday, stocks pulled back after the Federal Reserve raised questions about the strength of the recovery and emphasized it is in no hurry to raise rates. A lot more to digest today, including Wal- Mart earnings before the bell.

Oil prices tumbling, U.S. crude oil down about 4 percent right now, sitting around 50 bucks a barrel. It's been slashed in half. Look at that chart, since the summer. But gas prices are rising. That makes many of you furious. After a record 123 day slide, gas prices have now been climbing for 23 days. The national average $2.27 a gallon, and that's expected to keep climbing into spring.

Reddit is donating 10 percent of its ad revenue to charity. The online community is often controversial. It has a history of letting users do and say whatever in the world they want. Now, those users get to vote on which charities get Reddit's cash. The site will donate $830,000 to ten organizations. The Electronic Frontier Foundation and Doctors Without Borders are leading the vote right now.

BERMAN: Good cause.

EARLY START continues right now.